Field of the Invention
The subject matter described herein relates generally to maneuvering robotics. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a mechanism for maneuvering an end effector with delta robot arms.
Description of Related Art
Parallel robots, such as a delta robot, utilize multiple robotic arms to control orientation, motion, and placement of an end effector. Currently, most parallel robots uses actuators that are located at the base to maneuver the arms. The accuracy and efficiency maneuvering an end effector attached at one end of the robotic arms often relies on its overall structural design including center of mass and the mass itself.
The centralized actuation mechanism and the light material and structure of the parallel robots enables the parallel robots to have high movement speed, fast acceleration, and little inertia. For such reasons, delta robots are being used in various applications and industries, such as 3D printers, medical devices, pharmaceutical applications, assembly robots, and packaging robots, to name a few. The multiple robotic arms of a delta robot enable efficient maneuvering of the end effector and a speedy operation due to its light weight and multi-axes control mechanism. While the movement of the end effector is designed to utilize the advantages of the parallel robots, the end effector itself often is equipped with other tools and other components to perform various actions. The end effector is often integrated with different type of tools and their actuators to perform actions applicable for its usage, thereby increasing the moving mass of the end effector.
As a result, the end effectors of parallel robots often include weight of the actuators to perform their functions. This added weight leads to less efficient maneuvering, higher inertia, and slower movement of the end effector. For example, in the case of a 3D printer, delta robots are equipped with an extruder having motor in the end effector, controlling the operation of the extruder. Again, the additional motor adds significant weight to the end effector affecting the moment of inertia, velocity, and acceleration of the end effector. On the other hand, common extruder type known as “Bowden extruder” uses an indirect approach to feed the extruder with an extruder gear located away from the end effector. It uses a lengthy tube connected to the extruder to feed print filament which increases friction inside the tube, resulting in inefficient control of filament flow rate due to pushing and pulling motion on the filament along the tube. This is especially the case when using a stretchy filament.
Therefore, what is needed is a parallel robot mechanism for providing control of the end tool with adding minimal weight to it, to provide versatile movement of the end effector. There also is a need to provide a delta 3D printer that provides uniform flowrate of the filament being fed to the extruder without adding too much weight at the end effector.